in a pet, all voted to adjourn and the adjournment was carried at their instance, before any business had been transacted, and as a punishment of the contumacious council."
The next attempt, however, was more successful in getting the measure before the people, but it was defeated by popular vote. The bill was introduced January 11, 1854, in the House, by Representative Moffitt. It was referred to a select committee of five, and was passed and then sent to the Council, where after further amendments it was adopted.[1] In the campaign that followed, statehood was opposed by the whig Oregonian, principally on the ground of expense, and was ardently advocated by the Statesman. The election was held June 5, 1854. The vote was 3210 for the constitutional Convention, and 4079 against, a majority of 869 in the negative. At the same session of the legislature that passed the statehood bill, a Memorial was adopted and was forwarded to congress as follows:
Memorial
"H. M . 3. To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled.
"Your memoralists, the legislative assembly of the Territory of Oregon, would respectfully represent that in view of the rapidly accumulating population of our Territory, its numerous and increasing interests, and the inefficiency and anti-republican character of a territorial form of government, we believe that the period is at hand when the people of Oregon will desire to terminate the existence of the territorial organization by which they are governed, and ask the admission of Oregon, as a state, into the Union on an equal footing with the original states. And, therefore, to this end, you are respectfully and earnestly memoralized for the early passage of an act to enable the people of the Territory
- ↑ The bill was House Bill No. 44, H. J. 1853-4, pp. 89, 94, 139, C. J., 1853-4, pp. 82, 94. Laws 1853-4, p. 504. The memorial was H. M. 3, and is in the appendix of the last mentioned volume, p. 40. See as to the Memorial, C. J., 1853-4, pp. 94, 95, 98.
